'Nobody wants a used bikini': How 'curated clothing drives' are emerging amid Los Angeles wildfire donations

Kennedy Goff’s parents gave her clothes for Christmas. She was excited to wear her new pieces — but in a matter of days, they’d gone up in flames, along with her home and everything else in it, in the Jan. 7 Palisades Fire.

The 22-year-old is now “literally building a new closet based on generosity,” as she put it in a recent TikTok — and it’s all thanks to clothing donations. Some have come from friends; some from clothing brands and “complete strangers” who have reached into their own wardrobes to help California wildfire victims like Goff start over, one sweatshirt at a time.

Goff says she’s even received donated items that are reminiscent of the lost clothing her parents had gifted her over the holidays. “It’s really special how complete strangers have donated similar pieces without even knowing it,” Goff tells Yahoo Life. “Having a story to tell with every piece of clothing truly is incredible.”

More than 16,000 structures have been destroyed by the still-ongoing blazes in Southern California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Inside those homes and among the wreckage are people’s closets — which contained everything from basic staples like underwear and tees to wedding dresses, irreplaceable vintage pieces and other sentimental keepsakes. Now L.A. residents are using their influence to organize curated boutiques and clothing drives to help those affected by the fires start to rebuild their lives, and wardrobes, with intentionality.

Here’s what’s happening — and why mental health experts say it matters.

Opening their closets

Melynda Choothesa, a stylist, costume designer and owner of the downtown Los Angeles clothing boutique Quirk, was quick to help mobilize relief efforts as the fires spread. She created the LA Fire Help People’s Boutique, a “pre-sorted, free boutique” offering gently used clothing to wildfire victims. Beyond wanting to help her community, Choothesa tells Yahoo Life she felt a personal connection to the cause.

“We moved around a lot, and I was always getting things put in storage, and then my mother wouldn’t pay for the storage unit and we’d lose all of our things,” she says about her childhood. “I know what it’s like to not have stuff. I know what it’s like to grow up without and to be in need and to feel helpless in that situation.”

Choothesa’s boutique is now a bicoastal relief effort. She partnered with the nonprofit organization Well-Clothed to receive curated clothing donations from New York in addition to those from the Los Angeles area. The boutique also plans to offer personalized clothing assistance, with the help of L.A.-based stylists, for those who are unable to visit the physical location.

Altadena Girls, also known as Altadena Girls Teen Fire Recovery, is another relief effort that has gained traction since the wildfires broke out. Organized by 14-year-old Pasadena resident Avery Colvert, the charity is focused on helping teen girls affected by the fires by providing them with clothing and beauty products — including ones donated by celebrity supporters like Charli XCX and Ariana Grande.

“I wanted to create a space where girls can get all new items that will restore their identity back … and their confidence,” Culvert told ABC 7 Los Angeles.

Taking a similar approach is Skyler Conner, a member of the L.A. band Mad About the Boy. She’s been working with vintage clothing stores Ratstar and Squaresville Vintage on a “curated clothing drive” in response to the amount of “soiled, damaged or relatively unusable” pieces that were being donated. These curated drives, says Conner — who is hosting a free shop at Ratstar on Jan. 26 and 27 — should instead include donated “items you would generally receive payment for. Things that you loved, and are still in great condition that you’d like to pass on to someone who needs it.”

Actress Kristen Bell has also spoken out about the condition of donated clothes. In a Jan. 11 Instagram post, the Nobody Wants This star shared her experiences from volunteering at a donation center and urged people not to “send trash” to clothing drives. “Garbage, we found garbage, basically,” Bell said in the video alongside actress Joy Bryant. “So we just wanted to remind everyone when you’re giving things, if you wouldn’t give it to your best friend, maybe don’t give it. Just because we want to be as respectful and dignified as possible.”

Madeleine White, a fashion influencer and owner of the brand See You Tomorrow, also urged people to refrain from donating their “rave gear” or “summer dresses” and to instead give clothing for the current winter climate. “Please actually donate things that people can actually use,” she said. “[They need] sweaters, T-shirts, jeans, leggings, coats, jackets, that kind of thing. Nobody wants a used bikini.”

Why it’s about more than just clothes

These posts encouraging more thoughtful, curated clothing donations have received some pushback. One TikToker called requests for “cute” and “on-trend” items “crazy,” and some commenters on Bell’s post accused the star of being “pretentious.” One response: “If I lose my clothes I wouldn't care if it had stains on it.”

But experts say that clothing isn’t so frivolous; it’s both a basic necessity and something key to our personal identities. Losing it, along with other treasured possessions and the things we rely on to get through our day to day, can be a real blow.

“Losing everything in an instant can have a huge mental health impact,” Kalie Pham, an associate marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, tells Yahoo Life. “The sudden loss of homes, belongings and even loved ones can trigger grief, shock and a sense of loss of control. Without their familiar comforts like clothing, people can struggle to regain a sense of normalcy.”

Linh Trần, a clinical social worker and therapist who prioritizes LGBTQ, BIPOC and immigrant populations in Seattle, also believes that curated boutiques and clothing drives honor the dignity of those in need of support during the wildfires.

“These drives can also be a source of care and connection that let the receivers know that the items they're seeing are the opposite of frivolity but rather intentional messages of care and support,” Trần tells Yahoo Life. “Traumatic events already tend to strip us of our sense of safety, belonging, dignity — it's highly important that those affected get to regain access to any of these three tenets as they navigate through this tragedy.”

A person’s attachment to clothing shouldn't be up for public debate, Choothesa adds. Whether something does or does not matter amid tragedy isn't anyone else’s call to make.

“I would love for someone to tell me that they don’t have something in their closet that evokes some sort of important memory for them,” Choothesa says in response to some of the criticism fashion-conscious relief efforts have garnered. “It’s not our place to decide for other people what’s important to them. The fact is, that’s important to them.”